Virtual events are all part of the new normal, and let's face it, migrating your event online is a far better solution to keep your event going. This year has had a bunch of postponements and cancellations, but luckily many platforms have risen to the occasion providing a space-albeit online - where you can share, connect and network with others. With so many choices out there, it can be a little difficult working out what works best for what you need. We rounded up a list of a variety of platforms that we think are versatile and adapted to a host of different events.
1. GoToWebinar
GoToWebinar is a solid platform if you're still new to virtual events. The learning curve is not too steep, and the user interface is intuitive and allows you to start your first webinar simply and easily. The platform is excellent for keeping track of attendees engagement and providing clear data and analytics. It also allows you to create polls and record presentations while the webinar is ongoing. If you also happen to have guest speakers and panellists, GoToWebinar allows you to switch between each quite easily. Selecting the right plan gives you access to more features such as real-time transcriptions of your webinar and the ability to embed videos, and also the capacity to have more or fewer attendees.
Pricing: 3 Premium plans at varied price points, starting at $109/month.
2. Splash
Splash is a great all-around event platform tool. Many have praised its various templates and ability to integrate brand guidelines into the design of an event page. The design capability also includes the addition to editing the event page across different devices. Another strong suit for splash is its analytics and reporting ability, which has made collecting data on events a much easier task. Splash also gives you a way to segment guest lists to make things more manageable. This is a welcome plus to several event hosts. What makes Splash unique is that they have one-to-one support from account managers who take the time and care to address concerns efficiently.
Pricing: Free, with paid plans starting at $9500/year
3. Hopin
Hopin is another event platform with rising popularity. This platform is good for different kinds of events and expos especially. Hopin allows you to create booths as if you were holding a real-time event expo. Hopin also allows you to hold group sessions with different groups of attendees and includes one-to-one networking sessions where people can network separately in an ongoing event. The training and learning curve for this platform is easy and offered through the documentation but also, short quick videos that answer common queries and concerns. Their responsive online support has also been praised by many event hosts.
Pricing: Free plan for small events (5 attendees), paid plan starting at $99 for 100 tickets (o.5¢ on each additional attendee)
4. Bizzabo
Bizzabo is another solid choice for anyone wanting to host a virtual event. The key to Bizzabo is its ability to create reporting and meaningful data on attendees, because Bizzabo is specifically directed towards marketers, the analytics is its competitive selling point. Their platform allows you to measure real-time data against projected goals. The Bizzabo support team also helps you to create your own event landing page and registration form, so that even if you don't have a coding or design background, you can get your event professionally up and running in no time. The added feature is that Bizzabo allows you to create an event app that is accessible to smartphones, which can be really useful for attendees to purchase tickets and gain info on the event.
Pricing: Bizzabo offers a demo by request, and 3 plans that are only available by-quote, contact Bizzabo for full pricing details.
5. Whova
Whova is an award-winning app in the virtual event platform market. Whova is perfect at ensuring your attendees are constantly informed and have access to event details. Whova also gives attendees the option to answer live polls from within their app. Their added feature of attendee profiles allows attendees to link and network with each other privately. Whova has the added capability of letting you highlight sponsors in the event. Whova gives organizers the function to interact with attendees up to 6 months following the event.
Pricing: To get a correct price match, Whova's payment options are offered by quote
6. Remo
Remo is unique in its ability to mimic the "feel" of attending a conference. In Remo, the event features a series of tables where attendees are arranged and can hop in or hop out to another. Each table has a whiteboard option which allows you to embed any content, whether a video or branded content that is available to all attendees in the event. Remo is the closest at matching an in-person event atmosphere while still being behind a screen
Pricing: Starting at $100/month billed annually for events with up to 50 people (20% off promotion)up to $1560 per month for events with 850+ attendees
7. Brella
Brella is a versatile event platform that makes networking quite easy. Powered by a match-making algorithm, Brella aims at streamlining the event and linking people together. This is especially useful for sponsors because Brella not only offers opportunities for sponsors to appear in the event content, but also offers links to schedule a meeting with sponsors. This can be especially useful for lead generation. Brella also collects data in the event admin panel and monitors engagement, number of messages and the number of meetings between attendees at any given moment. Brella's support offers you a personal consultant to help get your business up and running so that there's no need to worry.
Pricing: starting from $3000 for the self-service plans, up to $6000 for the Enterprise plan
Although the new normal has pushed many businesses towards this shift in events, the task is a lot less daunting with these platforms to choose from. Choosing the right platform might be a difficult task, especially when you might not know where to start. If you're looking for the best way to promote your own event, you can get in touch with us here at Digithy, and we can offer you the best solution suited to your needs and goals.